In between the waves and other people’s lives

Paddled out yesterday. Sometimes in life you feel in between everything and hope somehow you get knocked into a groove. Iusually get pumped, but the types of people in the water, and the way the waves were hitting made me feel uneasy. But I come down to the ocean to complain, I came to surf. The sky was overcast and so were the people. The guys who act pleasant in the water–between waves, then assume their real personalities. Funny how they think no one notices if they’re in a crowd. These type thrive in a crowd. so many do. I kept shifting around. Trying to find a spiot and was largey between the waves in a way. But so many of the waves were close outs, or bumpy rides that were like trying to ride a carpet when someone was trying to shake you off it. The people out there didnt know the difference.

I tried to take off on this wave and a shortboarder goes right underneath me, and I pull back because I would have impaled his prostate. And he missed the wave, looked back at me and said, “I didn’t think you were going.” Instead of getting mad, I just shrugged, “Plenty of water and waves, at least no one got hurt!” Funny how people can commit crimes and still claim to be innocent bystanders. Ha;f the time I feel I’m not describing the acotion in the water but filing an accident report!

But I kept trying to get into various waves, took a couple uneventful sloshy ones. And this girl comes down the line behind me, unable to turn, froze. I do bark this time, “You’re an idiot!” SHe’s stunned. “Yes,” I kick out as she goes by, frozen and stiff, glued to the board. “Yes, you–you’re an idiot. You’re dangerous.” Then I shrug that off. Take another wave, and surprise, yet another shortboarder takes off behind mne–ah, those waist-high rippers,

I can’t cut back. But the wave ahead is going, which the ripper clearly doesn’t know, I kick out and he gets whomped. I say nothing and paddle out again. Another time, yet another guy takes iff on the foam behind me, and I don;t see him until I make a cutback, and he shouts, “Behind you!” and he’s on his knees in the foam, not even standing! I say nothing and kick out and he says to me, “I have to let people know I’m there. I’ve almost gotten hurt several times.” I’m thinking, that’s because you’re not sup-posed to be doing what you’re doing. But I say nothing. Eventually, he’ll collide with someone on his Costco board.

I kicked out for some girl who had the next wave. AThen there was a lull. And a small mid-zie one came through. I went and she burned me. Nice, I thought. There are people who have ambition and their career and never see anything along the way, and whatever goal they have set for themselves, here they are.

One chucklehead looks at me, who was talking to another one like him, they were scrambling and trying to burn whoever they could, even each other. He looks at me and smiles and says, “It’s a beautiful day.” I just stared through him and paddled away. The silence of tyranny.SOmetimes one man, one vote isn’t enough.

But today was more like working out on a liquid gym. I’m not complaining, just saying what was out there. I almost lost surfing to cancer, and I will not lose it.

A girl who was out in the water is talking to her husband, a guy with a big truck and bigger dog and says, “WHen you go for a bagel, I’ll meet you there, I want everything on it, cream cheese and salmon. It’s a couples place! ANyway, hey will go to some local joint with other people just like them, dog-friendly of course, sip their coffee, talk about the surf to others just like them, in a place where I don;t have to go to see them. Then when they lose their jobs, they will leave, and talk about how they were so here.

I was in between, but I wasn’t crushed. It wasn’t my day. But those in-between moments shape you, better than being what these people are: in-between lives,

Taking their selfies, purchasing all the right things, and never living up to it. And oh, how they try to convince you otherwise, and when they fail, somehow try to say you’re the one with the problem. Well, just for today, I guess.